Today, May 20, 2009 the secularists at Google (and many other media outlets) believe that they have lobbed a hand grenade into the laps of believers in Creationism and I.D. The homepage at Google today depicts “Ida,” a fossil dated to be as old as 47 million years. When you click on the fossil, you are essentially doing the equivalent of a “Google Search” for “Missing Link.” The first link to appear in the list of results from that Google search brings you to this site; NY Daily News, US/World News. I have cut and pasted the last portion of that article here:
The unveiling of the fossil came as part of a carefully-orchestrated publicity campaign unusual for scientific discoveries.
A History Channel film on the discovery will air next week.
A book release and a slew of other documentaries will follow.
There is plainly a lucrative agenda behind any publicity of Ida at Google, NY Daily News, or even last night’s ABC Nightly News (Tuesday, May 19, 2009). In fact, it would be considered press irresponsibility not to report on the unveiling of “Ida.” My concern is that “Ida” is less about science and more about money and faith. We have yet to hear from Creationists why this whole matter is so absurd. For example, we are not genetically similar to a lemur-like mammal, according to Darwinian Scientists. They have been genetically mapping our similarity with the primates.
Secondly, there is today an anti-intellectual momentum. We don’t know as much as we think we do, and we boast to know of something we know very little about. There is so much room here for such things as schemes, rhetoric, religious/political agenda, hoaxes, etc. There is such a thing as Pseudoscience. Pseudoscience is a methodology, belief, or practice that is claimed to be scientific, or that is made to appear to be scientific, but which does not adhere to an appropriate scientific methodology, lacks supporting evidence or plausibility, or otherwise lacks scientific status (from Oxford English Dictionary and The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy).
The scientific community seems to have all gone mad. There is in no way a consensus about this fossil among respected researchers merely because Ida appears to have thumbs. The fossil Ida was exhumed 26 years ago. It was examined in secret and prepared meticulously for terrific response–both monetary and secularist in motive.
There seems to be a parade in the scientific community over this so-called “proof.” It is unscrupulous to use terms like “proof,” or “holy grail” or to say, “This fossil will probably be the one that will be pictured in all textbooks for the next 100 years.” Hurum has said this of his own fossil. He said, “This specimen is like finding the Lost Ark for archeologists.” Certainly, Hurum would want these claims to be true. It’s so soon to make these claims and it’s too soon to buy in. This is no more respectable than buying into Madoff’s money scheme or PTL’s religious/money scheme. There are a number of scientists who have religious faith in naturalism and atheism, and they must dig up evidence to support their religious belief. Hurum is doing more than championing Darwinian evolution, he is capitolizing on that religion. He is the Jim Bakker or Ted Haggard of Biological Evolution.
Sidenote, Only 3 months ago, on February 12, 2009, instead of saluting Abraham Lincoln on his 200th birthday, Google’s banner saluted Charles Darwin. Why “Darwin Day?” Because Abraham Lincoln stood out from among his Deist contemporaries and saluted Christ.
Jorn Hurum may be a Darwinian, but he is also desperate to defend his worldview. Most importantly for my post here, he is excellently business-savvy and has intentionally created the secularists’ wet dream.
I must admit that this seems a little over the top, what with the book releases as well as the television program scheduled to air before full peer-reviewed discussions are opened up. Upon seeing the pictured specimen I was full of doubt and curiosity. It seems a bit illogical that an ancestor of lemurs would be found in Germany based on our current understanding of Eocene life and climate. I’m sure there is a large number of archeologists who are not at all pleased with the hype, or the assumptions presented by the men and women who found “Ida”. I can only hope that detailed peer-reviewed studies are conducted in the near future and that any lingering questions can be answered. However I feel it is necessary to point out that although I agree with much of your post pertaining to the poor science being circulated around due this discovery, that you statement pertaining to Google is not entirely correct. Though it is true that Google celebrated Charles Darwin’s birthday it is unfair to state that they did this because “Abraham Lincoln stood out from among his Deist contemporaries and saluted Christ.” Never during Lincoln’s life did he ever join any church, nor did he ever speak of his religious beliefs. Rather, he did have the utmost respect for the Deist Thomas Paine. Again, please rest assured that there are many individuals in the scientific community that look at each new discovery with an air of skepticism, they just don’t get the national coverage that the others do.
One cheap shot deserves another.
“There are a number of scientists who have religious faith in naturalism and atheism, and they must dig up evidence to support their religious belief.”
Virtually all the top scientists in the world are atheists. I doubt they would call “not believing in a magic god fairy” a religious belief.
Any perfectly preserved fossil that’s 47 million years old is going to help biologists learn more about the history of life. I’m not surprised that creationists would complain about this fossil instead of trying to learn something from it. Creationists always have been and always will be afraid of scientific progress.
The Earth is not flat!!! No way. Let’s continue arguing for the flatness of the world despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
“secularists… believe that they have lobbed a hand grenade into the laps of believers in Creationism and I.D.”
Ummm, no, they simply presented a paper and a very interesting fossil to the public. FYI, that’s what scientists do! And also, Science IS secular and always has been.
“Pseudoscience is a methodology, belief, or practice that is claimed to be scientific, or that is made to appear to be scientific, but which does not adhere to an appropriate scientific methodology, lacks supporting evidence or plausibility, or otherwise lacks scientific status…”
That’s a very nice description of Creationism. Thank you.
“It was examined in secret…”
Ohhhhhh!!!! A CONSPIRACY!!
“Why “Darwin Day?” Because Abraham Lincoln stood out from among his Deist contemporaries and saluted Christ.”
Ohhhhh!!!! Another CONSPIRACY!!!!!
“Jorn Hurum may be a Darwinian, but he is also desperate to defend his worldview”
Ummmm, no again. Dr. Hurum is a palaeontologist that’s just doing his job. Do you know what palaeontologists do for a living? Can you even pronounce it? Have you even bothered to read his paper that took 2 years to write before you started to blather like an idiot? No, of course you didn’t.
I for one, has gots me a couple of questions. First, in Paleontology, a fossil is generally accepted, when it is discovered in situ-this is science, and science operates on demonstrable research-and here we have a supposed fossil that has changed hands twice, rendering it unnaceptable, as it’s origins cannot be satisfactorily traced-regardless of who’s presenting it. That troubles me. Second, the science team that studied it, did so in secret, over a two year period-again, deeply unscientific-a theory is accepted after public research, that a museum or university can track, is done, over an extended period-there is a reason for the rigour in the requirements of proof. The fact that the research was done in secret, renders the science itself, as unacceptable. Third: there are claims that much research has been done, while this fossil is still under a thick layer of resin (there were apparently some X-rays, that proved only that it was actual bone, still under resin) with no apparent samples in evidence. Finally, after viewing many different photos, I’ve observed the skeleton seems a different colour than the surrounding stone-apparently going against the way in which fossils are formed-by taking on the surrounding material-a fossil is merely the shape or the organic material that it was in. And this seems to be of a different material-as well, a closeup reveals a seeming distinction between fossil and surround rock-unlike fossils, which are observed to made of the same material they are preserved in, and thus, no longer organic. Basically, it comes down to this-take off the resin, and show us the fossil. samples, proving it’s not anything other than the rock it’s in. and even after that, it sure as shootin’ aint the missing link, well, for lemurs, anyways.
In reply to bobxxxx:
Biological evolutionists have always been and always will be afraid of absolute law, contingency, and accountability. Creationists are not afraid of learning anything from a fossil or any “scientific progress.” This is only an assumption. Creationists confirm that science affirms design and order, meaning and ethics.
In response to bmvazquez:
Clueless soul, what do the ills of a Medieval Roman Church have to do with Creationism or I.D.?
In response to waynef:
Jorn Hurum, and a select few others of his choosing, studied the fossil for two years in secret. What about this implies conspiracy? Secondly, the scientific community does not consider Darwinism very seriously. [by the way, they only teach biological evolution in the public schools--how is that not a conspiracy?] They affirm adaptation, but lack the evidence to seriously affirm evolution. Thus, Ida. What about this implies conspiracy? They are declaring the fossil of a cat-like creature to be their “holy grail,” the very missing link that they needed for their theory. This is an astronomical and immediate change in direction. Who’s the conspirator?
I guarantee you two things. 1) In the months to come, we’ll find Ida is a dud, and 2) This is not about knowledge and intellect. It is about absolutes that transcend you and I which many people are in denial of. The biggest conspiracy of this denial in a Creator is biological evolution. This is what my post is about–the religious nature of the announcement.
Everything about this publicity stunt is a mortar launched from one camp to another. This is merely the reality of it. This is why Ida is garnering such attention. It is foolish to see this as anything other than religious at the heart.
Once again, the creationists are saying that a transitional fossil is simply another hoax. This time, they are claiming that it is a hoax just because it is not a fossil of a half-chimpanzee, half-human animal. As anyone who understands evolution knows, we did not evolve from chimpanzees; humans and chimpanzees share a common ancestor. We therefore would not expect a human-chimpanzee fossil to be found. We would, however, expect to find fossils of humanoids with more ape-like characteristics. And find them we do, even if the fossil record isn’t as rich as we would like. So I agree with the author that Ida is no “missing link” between humans and chimpanzees. It is a fossil of an lemur-like creature that is either a direct ancestor of modern humans and other primates or a “branch-off.” Scientists aren’t claiming anything different.
This time though, creationists have put a new spin on their arguments and are claiming that Google has a secularist agenda. Just because Google recognized an extraordinarily complete fossil find does not mean that they have a “secularist agenda.” Secondly, Google honored Darwin’s birthday rather than Lincoln’s birthday this year simply because it was a very special Darwin Day. We were celebrating exactly 150 years.
This thing is nothing more than the demon-seed love child of Piltdown Man and Lucy. Or it could be that creature that tired to rape Sigourney Weaver in the movie “Alien”.
The soft sciences are always open to fairytales and this is no different. Not long ago the National Academy of Sciences and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, issued urgent appeals to their membership to do everything they can to fend off the idea that life provides evidence of intelligent design.
This is clearly another example of desparation and fabrication in the absence of any proof. I’m always amazed at the frantic steps taken to disprove one God over another god and using as much money and resources in that pursuit. In the mean time our planet’s ecosystems are in the toilette and none of these geniuses have a clue as to how to save them. But they all have the answer for garbage like this. Incredidle.
I’m not a Creationist. A Creationist is a political pressure movement and has nothing to do with the bible. But both churches and Atheistic religions have got to be removed or this planet is a gonner for sure. Basically there seems to be no differences between them.
Unfortunately the average person today finds themselves subject to the mythologies of both.
The subject of very useful